Family Reunited
by Ariana-tan
Summary: Okay, people, I'm reuploading this story because I have changed some really major stuff about my story. Rated T just to be safe - might be some intense swearing later on - I don't know... WILL BE COMPLETELY REWRITTEN DURING THE NEXT TWO MONTHS!


Family Reunited: A Fruits Basket Story

Main Character:

Ariana Fletcher (uses the last name of her foster family, and the first name that they gave her, even after finding out that her real family was still alive, and about her real first name). For the majority of the story (after her foster father and stepmother's deaths), she is fourteen years old. She has strawberry-blonde hair and dark brown eyes. She usually wears T-shirts and cargo pants. She also sometimes wears skirts, but pretty rarely, unless she is in school (she's a bit of a tomboy, in all honesty). She is actually pretty shy, even though she's moderately popular, and several boys have asked her out, though she has turned them all down. She is very protective of her younger brother and stepsister, even after learning that she is in no way biologically related to them.

Little Brother:

Christopher Fletcher. For the majority of the story (after his father and stepmother's deaths), he is ten years old. He has very dark brown (that looks black in some lights) hair and light gray eyes. He usually wears trucker or trapper hats (the ones have faux-fur on the trim). He usually wears T-shirts and jeans, unless he's in school, in which case he wears his school uniform. He tries to help Ariana with the housework but usually makes everything worse.

Little Half-Sister:

Marissa Fletcher. For the majority of the story (after her parents' deaths), she is seven years old, soon to turn eight. She has light brown hair and dark blue eyes. She usually wears hoodies and jeans, but she sometimes wears skirts and blouses when she has to look extra-nice, or whenever her older sister or parents tell her to. She is pretty shy, doesn't talk very much after her parents' deaths, and enjoys being protected by her older half-siblings.

Pet Cat:

Tammy. Ariana has owned this cat since she was a kitten. She is around six years old. She has tortoiseshell fur and bright green eyes. She likes being petted and brushed, but she is a slight liability because she is always hungry.

Pet Huskie Pup:

Shadow. This is the huskie pup that the Fletcher family raised from birth after being abandoned by his mother. By now, he is around eight months old by the time of the climax. He has reddish-brown fur and black eyes. He likes being babied, but is afraid of Tammy because she scratches him and chases him.

Main Story

"Daddy?"

"Yes, son?"

"When is Mama going to have the baby?"

"Soon, I think."

The little boy stared in wonder at his mother. Over the past few months, he had noticed that her belly had been getting bigger and bigger, and she said that soon he would be getting a baby brother or sister. He was hoping that it would be a brother, but a sister would be cool, too.

Suddenly, the boy's mother started screaming in pain. The boy's father looked scared and then said, "Son, get in the car, please. Mama's going to have the baby."

The little boy got into the car, and his father buckled him into his car seat. Then the man helped his wife into the front seat and helped her buckle up, too. Then he drove his family to the hospital, well above the speed limit.

When they got there, a nurse came and took the woman away in a wheelchair. Her husband went, too, and told their son to be good and wait there. Another nurse came and brought the little boy to the kids' waiting area, and he waited there for a really long time. Eventually, the boy's father came and brought him in to see his mother and the new baby. The baby's name was Sakura, and her eyes were a pretty, dark slate-gray color **(I read somewhere that almost all babies are born with eyes this color; they usually change later on)**. Her hair was, in all honesty, fairly close in color to the little boy's own.

After a few days in the hospital, the mother and the baby were finally able to return home, and the family lived in relative peace for the next year or so. But it was clear that something was … off with the little family. The boy was considered a freak, even within his own family. His mother could barely stand to look at him, and did her best to keep her distance. She rarely allowed her older child anywhere near the precious baby, who was thankfully perfectly normal.

One day, the mother went on a walk all alone, and did not come back, even several hours later. Finally, a phone call came. It was from the nearby train station, announcing that a woman had been hit by a train recently, and that it was believed that she would not survive. The family was invited to identify the body and to say their good-byes.

The widower walked his two children (the baby was put into a stroller) down to the station so that they could say goodbye to their mother. He remained aloof towards both children, despite the little boy's tears and confusion and the baby's wailing.

The next day, the widower took his baby daughter and left her at the doorstep of the nearest foster home. When he returned home without the baby, the little boy was very concerned and begged his father to tell him where the baby was. The father tried to explain, but the child's questions finally angered the father to the point where he actually hit his child hard enough to leave a mark.

The father took his child to the family doctor. The doctor asked what had happened, and when the father explained, the doctor took the child away and gave him to another member of the family to raise.

**Gah, this chapter was so frickin' difficult to rewrite! I wanted to add more detail, but it was super-hard to never, ever actually use the older brother's name! It will eventually be revealed, but it could take several chapters. Anywho, every chapter will be rewritten until I'm completely satisfied, so it may take a little while. Hope you enjoy!**


End file.
